Bangladesh Sentences 152 Soldiers To Die Over Mutiny

A Bangladeshi border guard cries inside a prison van as he leaves a special court after a verdict in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Tuesday. The court sentenced 152 people to death for a 2009 mutiny by disgruntled border guards who killed dozens of military commanders during a brutal, two-day uprising.

A.M. Ahad
/ AP

Originally published on November 5, 2013 7:44 am

A court in Bangladesh has handed down the death penalty for 152 soldiers in connection with a mutiny by border guards in 2009.

The Associated Press says that "the sentences followed a mass trial involving 846 defendants — a process criticized by a human rights group who said it was not credible and that at least 47 suspects died in custody."

According to Bangla News 24, some 160 others received life sentences plus an additional 10 years, and 263 soldiers got terms of between three years and 17 years. More than 270 people were acquitted. Four of the accused died during the trial.